


Silver Sight

by Collectible



Series: All in the Life [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Gen, Merperson Yuuri, merperson au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 02:33:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10066553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Collectible/pseuds/Collectible
Summary: #2 -- Worrying about his life on quiet nights have become irritatingly normal. On one such night, Dennis heads down to the sea.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd; you guys know me already.
> 
> Takes place in the regular Arc-V world, but the island resembles GX's Academia a lot more. Dennis is a Ra Yellow just because I can.

➀

Life at Duel Academia was not what Dennis had expected.

That started off wrong--he loved the school. It was an extreme honor to attend, and he was glad the top dogs wanted him around until they required his skills. Duel Academia engaged him more than the orphanage ever did, too; he’d never dueled countless times in a row, where he was sure to faint from constant stress. Here, battling was like breathing, dueling against Reds, Yellows, and Blues. An exhilarating island filled with wins and losses. But despite his enjoyment, Dennis was missing something vital.

Unlike the Osiris Red dorms, the Ra Yellow manor didn't squeak or moan at night. Dennis laid in bed, shifty under the cotton sheets and uneasy in his honorary home.

What was wrong with him? He rolled on his back to stare at the smooth ceiling. Moonlight shone in from the balcony, illuminating most of his room in a silver, dreamy light. He kept his eyes upward, too busy thinking to bother about whether he should shut the blinds.

The thought of Duel Academia sent his heart fluttering. From eagerness, or despair? He wanted this opportunity, right? He wanted the higher-ups to trust in his dueling ability, his learning ability. Or, at least, he felt like he did.

Ugh.

Dennis turned on his side. Under the sheets, his skin grew moist and clammy. He kicked them off and was quickly satisfied when air surrounded him like a cloak.

Much better. His eyes were already drooping. Maybe he needed air to push his concerns away and finally find sleep? That sounded about right.

His pillow pushed up against his cheek and he clutched it close, nuzzling into it as a shroud of sleep covered him. His mind quieted down and his worries didn't matter as much. Wondering about his life wasn't as much of a bother when he rested. Nothing felt lost when he slept. In fact, right now he was pretty calm, complete, like his issues ceased to exist and he was making a huge deal out of nothing--

\--and his mind started to race again.

Ah, crap.

Blearily, Dennis’ eyes opened, and he flopped onto his back with an annoyed huff.

At the opposite side of the room, someone groaned. “Macfield,” his roommate grunted, sounding as exhausted as Dennis wished to be, “if you keep shifting around, I’m going to come over there and smother you, I swear to god.”

“I’m not doing it on purpose!” He defended. He lifted his body up, turning to the second bed and its occupant. “I’m… trying to think.”

“Then think without moving, would you?” Kudou shifted, moving to face the wall and pointing his back at Dennis. “It’s Sunday. People are trying to sleep.”

He huffed, close to pouting. “I’ve been trying to sleep for the past hour. Do you have anything for me to do, then, if I can’t lie down?”

A sudden jolt and a creak of the bed, which Dennis took as a shrug. “How should I know? Go on a walk, sleep on the balcony--I’m too tired to give a damn about what you do, as long as you aren’t loud. Get it?”

Those suggestions didn’t help in the least. Dennis couldn’t sleep on the balcony--he’d catch a cold, or worse! And walking was out of the question. The moon may have been full and bright, but the important matter that was the midnight curfew existed.

... Right. The midnight curfew that didn't occur during the weekends.

“Huh,” he said.

“Mmm?”

“Nothing.” Dennis slid his legs to the floor. The plush carpet tickled his toes as he stood, gazing around the room for his uniform. “I’m heading out.”

Kudou lifted his head and stared. “You’re going to sleep on the balcony?”

“What--no!” Scowling, he spotted his Ra Yellow jacket and tugged it on. “I’m going out to _walk around_. Don’t lock me out.”

A sigh, and his roommate relaxed back into his mattress. “I’m not getting up anyway,” he yawned, nearly as loud as a fire truck’s siren. “Just hurry, would you? God, I’m tired.”

Rolling his eyes, Dennis stepped into his shoes. He blew a raspberry at Kudou--his reward was a gesture he knew was rude but couldn't see--and then he pulled the bedroom door open to start on his much-needed walk.

➁

Exiting the dorm instantly put him at ease.

Perhaps he needed time away from his room. The thoughts stayed in his head but had quieted down. The moon was bright and the summer breeze made him smile. He didn't have to bother with trying to locate the source of his problems at the moment.

The Ra Yellow dorm overlooked the sea, and the hint of salt water wafted up to Dennis from far below. The water was dark and murky so late at night, surrounding the island from all sides and making it near impossible to imagine the mainland, so far away that they required the ferry to reach it.

He paused at the edge of the cliff and peered down to the sharp rocks. They’d rip everything to shreds if given the chance, from fish to clothing and flesh, so he took a measly step back to provide a little space.

Where could he go? He wasn't going to walk around the whole island, for one thing. Everyone knew the stories--some dimwitted student or students (typically labeled as Reds) decided to have a fun night in the woods and got lost. Upon finding them--if they found them--they were mad with hunger, and it took forever to make them right again.

Dennis would rather not experience that anytime soon--or ever. Yikes.

If not the forest, that left the port. That option was… better, but also worse. He’d have the space he wanted, but that choice involved walking past those weird luminescent machines. They didn't frighten him, but their unusual buzzing and odd green glow kept him on his toes.

He had to walk somewhere, though! Standing around wasn’t doing anything worthwhile. He’d been outside for, what, five minutes? Night didn't last forever, Macfield! Pick your feet up!

Dennis moved to the right--at least, his legs did. Headed to the downward slope, toward the Osiris dorm, and inevitably the sea.

Well, there was his answer.

To the harbor!

➂

He left the metallic, non-natural section of the port behind. It was easier to relax on real land while crushing tiny rocks under his boots, and the moon gave enough light that he didn't trip head-first into the sea when he found a secluded little niche.

Dennis settled down a foot or so from the sea. Several sharp rocks shot up from the water, and a gigantic jagged rock blocked him from view. There was no reason to hide; no one worked so late at night. It felt safer though, somehow. He would notice if anyone stumbled onto his hide-away, and he could crouch in the cliff’s long shadow or among the multiple waist-high rocks if a straggler came close. If anything, being cautious was good.

He breathed in deeply, taking in the salty, damp air. Swimming class never made him feel this relaxed. Things seemed much different when he wasn't ordered to complete laps back-to-back, believing he’d be locked in to his unfortunate fate until he grew exhausted and drowned.

Dennis blinked at wild splashes coming from the water.

Speaking of ‘locked in’--Dennis leaned forward to squint inside a small rock grouping near his hide-away. Its gray scales glistened like dozens of dim diamonds, and the boxed-in fish seemed desperate to reach open water again, swishing back and forth in a frenzied circle.

Dennis frowned at the hopeless display. Poor guy. Girl? It. It was a fish.

Leaving the poor fish to its fate, he reclined against the cliff, gazing up at the overhead moon. He’d never been out late before. It was--nice, almost. The thoughts might return soon, but the silence was particularly refreshing. If he wasn’t careful, he might start to fall asleep…

Chilly water splashed against his leg. Dennis gasped at the shock of cold, snatching his leg back to start rubbing his warm hands over his soaked ankle. He’d better not get an actual cold. Stupid waves… How’d it reach him when he wasn't near the splash zone?

Grumbling under his breath, Dennis flicked his gaze to the surface of the black waves and nearly screamed upon noticing dark eyes staring back at him.

Instead, his throat closed up before he released the cry, and Dennis scurried to his feet, heart pounding against his chest.

The eyes hadn’t moved. Or blinked, for that matter.

Oh, god. Had he found a body? He wanted some space to think, not to find a corpse!

The eyes blinked.

Oh. They weren’t dead. But--well--they’re still being _creepy_.

They stared at each other until he lost track of time. Dennis ended up blinking twice as his eyes grew dehydrated, but whenever he hurried to open them again, the pair in the water still stayed there. Waiting. Watching.

Weird…

Were they a student? Although their hair was dark with seawater, he didn’t recognize that shade of purple on any soldier. Besides, didn’t they have to breathe? At least two minutes had passed--what were they waiting for? To die?

Despite his uneasy feeling, Dennis’ pounding heart slowed to a somewhat steady beat. He took a tiny step forward, trying to see more of the person those eyes belonged to.

“Uh,” he started. He shook his head, cleared his throat, and tried again: “Uh.”

Crap. What was he supposed to say?

On his fifth “Uh”, the eyes--and the _body_ \--lifted up from the water, the moonlight allowing him to see them almost clearly. The dark eyes--magenta?-- connected to a naked upper body with no protrusions on their chest. The person was young, younger than him, and their face was set in a blank expression.

“Well?” the person asked, voice softer than Dennis expected, but also a bit higher. “Are you going to give me my food or not?”

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Food?”

Like he’d said the wrong thing, the person immediately frowned. They glided closer and narrowed their intense eyes at him, searching for something Dennis had no clue about. Finally, they scowled. “You don’t have it,” they said, retreating away from the niche. “Of course not. He wouldn’t send a pointless lackey to feed me.”

Dennis disregarded being called a pointless lackey. “He?”

“Don’t return here,” they replied disinterestedly, ignoring what he said. Lowering their head as if searching the area around them, their arm snapped forward and slapped at the water, and then they really were retreating. In a flash, they shot out from his small island and back into the open sea. Without a second glance back, they slipped underwater and Dennis lurched to the water's edge, ready to dive in and stop the unusual student from their dangerous act.

But then he froze, gaze locked on the unfathomable.

A tail lifted out from the water. A purple tail that caught the moonlight, reflecting silver off wherever it hit. It rose high above the water in a smooth motion and then smacked back down, returning to the water for good and leaving him alone.

Dennis didn’t breathe, or blink, or do anything to distract himself from what he’d seen. That was… That person was…

His lungs needed a refill, so he broke from his trance, taking in a heavy, slow breath. His hands shook. He clasped them together, anchoring his mind with physical touch.

Dennis glanced once more to where the person--thing? creature?--had disappeared. Then he looked down, because the wild splashing from before had stopped.

The worried fish, previously trapped in the circle of rocks, had disappeared.


End file.
